Happy Fourteenth Anniversary to Our Blog!

Unless Sunday, June 7th is an important one for your family, you probably did not have the date marked on your calendar. Honestly, neither did we until we started going through some past blog posts to begin the long process of discarding out-of-date information in preparation for some big changes coming to the StLGS website. It was, therefore, a complete surprise to rediscover that the StLGS News Flash began its run on 7 June 2012, fourteen years from yesterday.

Potpourri of Genealogy Events for Summer's Dog Days

Summer is waning; didn't it seem to go by quickly? The days are still bright, but cooler weather is finally in the forecast for those of us in the St. Louis area, and there are several interesting and exciting genealogy meetings and tours coming up around town. We'll talk about St. Louis Genealogical Society meetings for September next week; this week, we'll feature some things you might be interested in sponsored by our friends in St. Clair County (Illinois), the Missouri Historical Society, and Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Traveling in the U.S. via the Rivers

Migration has been part of this country’s history since its inception, and for the next few weeks, we will explore some ways you can learn more about your ancestors’ travels across North America, wherever and however they went. 

Perhaps you had ancestors who used the rivers to travel or to earn a living? If so, you will want to know about the Waterways Journal, 134 years old and “America’s oldest continuously published inland waterways trade magazine.” The Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library, located in the Mercantile Library on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has an extensive collection of these journals and related materials and has recently added even more. The publisher of the Waterways Journal has donated its research library and photo morgue to the library.

Put Meat on the Bones of Your Family History!

You have undoubtedly heard many genealogists talking about “putting the meat on the bones” when it comes to their family history. Just how do you do that and what does it mean? We learn when we start working on our genealogy that it’s vital to capture names, dates, and places for everyone in our family tree. Of course, it is absolutely necessary to find documentation of basic facts and we need specific information to do that. But if we want to understand our ancestors as living, breathing human beings instead of just statistics, we need to know much more. We want to learn about their personalities, their occupations, their leisure activities, and their interactions in their communities. The more “meat” we put on those bare-bones dates and numbers, the more those people who preceded us become real.

StLGS Voting Opens AND October Meetings and Events

StLGS 2019 Election of Officers: 

Online Voting Opens Tuesday, 1 October 2019

October is the time to vote for StLGS officers. This year, the vice-president for programs and treasurer are up for re-election. Karen Goode and Viki Fagyal, who currently hold those positions, have agreed to run again, and your votes of confidence for them will indicate your support for the outstanding jobs they are doing.

All voting will be done online, and it couldn't be easier. Just go to our website, www.stlgs.org, log in as a member, and find the link that goes to the voting page at the very top. (See illustration below.)

On the voting page, you will find short biographies of both candidates, a link to our bylaws, if you want to look them over, and a link to the online ballot.

Voting should take you just seconds and must be completed by midnight, 1 November. Just click in the box next to each name on the ballot and then type in your own name at the bottom. This step is necessary to be sure each member number gets only one vote and that each person who votes is an active member.

Please note that the following ballots will be disqualified:

1. Ballots without names
2. Ballots with member names that appear more than once
3. Votes cast after midnight on 1 November 2019

Any questions? Call our office at 314-647-8547 during regular office hours and we will be glad to help you.

October StLGS Monthly Meeting

Saturday, 12 October 2019—10:00 a.m.

"Going with the Flow: River History and the Records That Trace It," by Porsche Schlapper, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, free and open to all, no pre-registration needed.

More information on the StLGS website.

Irish Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting 

Tuesday, 22 October 2019—7:00 p.m.

"Finding Irish Ancestors in the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Office," by Richard Buthod; St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, free and open to all, no pre-registration needed.

 More information on the Irish SIG page on the StLGS website.

Other Upcoming Classes and Meetings

StLGS Classes 

• All classes are free to StLGS members; there is a fee for non-members. 
• Classes are held at the StLGS office and begin at 1:00 p.m. 
• Pre-registration required at 314-647-8547

Saturday, 5 October 2019

"Beginning Irish Research," by Carol Hemmersmeier and Kay Weber 

Saturday, 19 October 2019

"Advanced Legacy Family Tree (Genealogy Software, PC Only)," by Cathy Amen

Sappington-Concord Historical Society Meeting
Thursday, 17 October 2019—2:30 p.m.

"Bellefontaine [Cemetery]'s People of Intrigue," by Dan Fuller and Richard Lay, Friendship Village South, 12503 Village Circle Drive, Sunset Hills, Crossings Building, Rhineland Room; free and open to all, no pre-registration needed.

More information on the events page on the group's website.